Career and Technical Scholarship

Our new Career and Technical Scholarship provides up to $1,500 each quarter to fund a high-demand associate's degree, certificate or apprenticeship from one of Washington's 34 community and technical colleges. This scholarship can be used toward nearly 1,000 trade, health care or STEM programs across Washington state. Each of these programs can lead to the jobs our communities need most such as nursing, welding and information technology.

Details on eligibility, funding and more can be found below.

Award Amount

CTS recipients will receive $1,500 per quarter for the duration of their program so long as they meet all eligibility criteria and are enrolled in at least 12 credits. Scholars enrolled part-time will receive a prorated award amount as shown in the table below.

Enrollment

Award Amount

12+ credits

$1,500

9-11 credits

$1,125

6-8 Credits

$750

Less than 6 credits

Not eligible for funding*

*Scholars enrolled in less than six credits during the fall, winter or spring terms will be withdrawn (see Leave of Absence.) Scholars are not required to enroll in summer term, but are eligible to receive funding at the usual rate if they choose to enroll.

Scholarship Parameters

All Scholars’ awards will have a “Maximum Award” and “Scholarship Expiration Date,” both of which can be found in the Scholar Portal and will be set within the first term of enrollment. These parameters are based on the length of the program and how much of the program has been completed. Scholars who meet all eligibility criteria every quarter will receive funding at the rate outlined in the section above until they reach one of the following parameters:

Earn their credential

Surpass their Maximum Award Amount

Surpass their Scholarship Expiration Date

Scholars can log in to the Scholar Portal at any time to review their Maximum Award and Scholarship Expiration Date.

WSOS cannot fund students that have made more than 125% progress toward their degree. Therefore, Maximum Award and Scholarship Expiration Date are calculated based on this 125% limit for your program of enrollment. There are no opportunities for scholars to request an extension on their scholarship parameters.

Remedial Credits

Scholars can receive funding for up to 45 remedial credits. The total number of remedial credits a Scholar is eligible to receive is based on the length of their program. Scholars can log into the Scholar Portal to review the number of remedial credits their scholarship supports. Scholars’ Maximum Award and Scholarship Expiration Date accommodate for the time a scholar may need remedial courses.

Disbursement Cycle

Disbursements are sent directly to the financial aid office of the Scholars’ college prior to the start of each term.
2019-20 scheduled disbursement dates:

Career and Technical Scholarship

Term

Date

Fall

August 30, 2019

Winter

January 3, 2020

Spring

March 27, 2020

Summer

June 5, 2020

Some scholarship disbursement dates may take place after a college’s tuition deadline. In these instances, the college can place a hold on the Scholar’s account so that the Scholar will not be dropped from their courses and no additional charges will be accrued. If you need a hold placed on your account, please reach out to your college’s financial aid office and notify them of your pending CTS award.

Scholars can confirm funds were disbursed on their behalf by logging in to the Scholar Portal. If an actual disbursement is reflected in the Scholar Portal and you do not yet see funds in your account, it is likely due to processing time. Colleges take a few weeks to apply scholarship funds after they receive them. Scholars should contact their college’s financial aid office if they have any concerns about their award after it is shown as an “actual disbursement” in the Scholar Portal.

Scholar Portal

We recommend all Scholars familiarize themselves with the Scholar Portal. This is where Scholars can view key details about their scholarship and submit forms to update their account. The Scholar Portal is the place for Scholars to:

View upcoming and past disbursements. Scholars can see all awards scheduled for the current academic year (anticipated disbursements) and any funds already sent to their institution (actual disbursements).

View important deadlines such as the deadline when their scholarship will expire.

Provide their student ID number by completing the “Update or Provide College ID” form. This will ensure WSOS disbursements can be appropriately applied by financial aid staff on campus to the right student account.

Maintain current contact information. Email is our primary means of communication with Scholars about scholarship requirements and opportunities. Any changes to phone, email or mailing addresses can be submitted through the “Update Contact Information” form.

Request a program change through the “Program Change” form in the Scholar Portal. Failure to do so will result in funding delays or withdrawal from the scholarship.

Life happens. WSOS acknowledges that students may not be able to meet all eligibility criteria every term. Should a Scholar need to take a brief break from school they must submit a “Leave of Absence” form prior to the start of the term. Scholars that have been withdrawn from the program and wish to be reinstated can petition for their account to be reviewed by submitting a Reinstatement Request.

Scholars can log into the Scholar Portal to view the status of requests at any time (typical processing time is two weeks).

New Scholars who are accessing the Scholar Portal for the first time should follow the steps below:

Visit the Scholar Portal (once you’ve been directed by WSOS to do so).

Click “Forgot your password.”

Enter the email address provided to WSOS at time of application.

An email will be sent with a link to reset the password. Follow the instructions to enter the Scholar Portal.

Keeping in Touch

Email is our primary means of communications with all Scholars. All Scholars should check their spam settings to ensure they receive WSOS emails. While all students have the right to unsubscribe from WSOS emails, this will result in missing important information and deadline reminders.